POLICY NEWS

UK study focuses on inhalation concerns

The National Science Foundation has made two five-year awards, to September 2008 (with a possiblefive-year renewal), as part of its program to createNanoscale Science and Engineering Centers (NSEC): * $12.5 million for Nano-Chemical-Electrical-Mechanical Manufacturing Systems (Nano-CEMMS),a collaboration between sponsor University of Illinoisat Urbana-Champaign, the California Institute ofTechnology, and the North Carolina Agricultural andTechnical State University. It will build on twobreakthroughs – very large scale integrated (VLSI)fluidic circuits can build arrays of addressablemolecular gates, which can be digitally switched todispense attoliter quantities – to develop newmethodologies and tools for scalable, robustmanufacturing of three-dimensional (3D) nano-structured multi-material devices.

* $17.2 million for Scalable and Integrated NanoManufacturing (SINAM), a collaboration betweensponsor University of California, Los Angeles andUniversity of California, Berkeley; Stanford University;University of California, San Diego; University ofNorth Carolina at Charlotte; and HP Labs. It aimsto scale lab technology to industrial applications by: • Developing cost-efficient, reliable nanolithography;• Devising commercial nano-manufacturing tools; • Establishing an engineering test-bed for

prototype development and testing; • Establishing an industrial consortium to build

strategic partnerships with companies as wellas government labs and a collaborative programinvolving research centers in Europe and Asia;

• Addressing high-tech work force needs via aresearch, education, and training program.

NSF creates nano-manufacturing centers

After recent controversy about the dangers ofgenetic engineering, nanotechnology could bethe next political battleground. Advocateshighlight the prospect of pollution-free energyproduction and better delivery of cancer-fighting drugs; detractors the health,environmental, ethical, and other issues suchas nano-terrorism or the ‘grey goo’ scenario, inwhich out-of-control, self-replicating molecularnano-robots infect the biosphere and the body.Nanotechnology is, therefore, attracting muchattention from governments, industry,research organizations, and the public. A report Future Technologies, Today’s Choiceson nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, androbotics from Greenpeace Environmental Trustsays there is insufficient research into thedangers and calls on government and industryto commit to a thorough assessment of theenvironmental, medical, and ethical challenges.It stresses that, while environmental benefitsare conceivable in some areas, a number ofpractices that might release nanoparticles intothe environment cause major concern. Thesecould “constitute whole new classes ofnonbiodegradable pollutants.” In September, a first progress report waspublished by the Royal Society and RoyalAcademy of Engineering on the studycommissioned in June by the UK government,which is due to last until late spring 2004(www.nanotec.org.uk).

Following a stakeholder consultation process,over 80 responding parties from academia,research councils, government bodies,nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), andindustry commented on applications; health,safety, and environmental impacts; ethical andsocial issues; and regulation. Inhalation of nanoparticles causes mostconcern. Many also emphasize the importanceof establishing a set of scientific facts as abasis for a public debate, to prevent confusionwith ‘science fiction’ scenarios. Working groupchair Ann Dowling, professor of mechanicalengineering at the University of Cambridge,comments, “The air is already full ofnanoparticles both naturally occurring andman-made. The study will explore whethernanoparticles produced by new technologyhave the potential to cause additional risks.” The working group convened workshops withscientists and engineers at the end ofSeptember (to establish a definition ofnanotechnology and likely future applications)and with NGOs at the end of October. Twomonths of market research into publicattitudes began in October, involving a surveyof the level of awareness of nanotechnologyand a workshop with members of the public toidentify and discuss potential concerns. Thiswill be followed by a month-long webconsultation. Further meetings are plannedwith health, safety, and environmental experts.

GOVERNMENT FUNDING

HEALTH AND SAFETY

December 200312

Ground has been broken at the

University of Alberta for the National

Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT) –

a partnership between the

Governments of Alberta and Canada

and the University of Alberta to expand

nanotech collaboration with the

National Research Council (NRC).

NINT will include labs for chemical and

biochemical synthesis and the analysis

of atomic-scale material structure, as

well as a cleanroom for the production

of nanostructured systems.

The $40 million building (to be

completed in fall 2005) is one third of

the $120 million to be spent on NINT

during its first five years (half each

from NRC and the University and

Government of Alberta). The

Government of Canada has committed

an additional $12 million a year for

operating costs from year six.

NINT’s 15 000 m2 can accommodate

120 NRC staff and 45 guest workers,

and provide training for 275 graduate

and post-doctoral researchers.

* October saw groundbreaking for the

University of South Florida College of

Engineering’s $4 million, 1200 m2

Nanotechnology Building (to be

completed next August) and the

opening of its renovated Kopp Building.

* Kang Wang, founder of the University

of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Nanotechnology Facility and electrical

engineering professor at UCLA’s Henry

Samueli School of Engineering and

Applied Science, has been appointed

director of its Functional Engineered

Nano Architectonics Focus Center,

founded in September. FENA is the

fifth site in the Focus Center Research

Program, launched in 1998 by the

Semiconductor Industry Association. It

aims to research materials, structures

and devices for nanoscale CMOS, and

heterogeneous interfaces to combine

biological and molecular functions.

Canada breaksnew ground NEW FACILITIES